Wishing Radiance, Dreaming Hollow
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: What is it about Radiant Garden that attracts all kinds of figures from many worlds? Is it the promise of love, or perhaps the many hidden secrets and mysteries that are waiting to be solved? One thing is certain: it's never boring in Radiant Garden, the world that never sleeps. -50 drabbles about life in Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion, from pre-BBS till post KH3. Multiple pairings.
1. Restoration

**A/N: I would betray myself if I didn't try to take my own challenge. XD The rules of my challenge are as follows:**

 **1) All drabbles should be between 250 and 600 words. Not less and certainly not more.  
2) You ****_must_** **credit me somewhere in this challenge.  
3) You ****_must_** **complete all 50 themes.  
4) It ****_must_** **be written in third person.  
5) Since it's called the Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden Challenge, it** ** _must_** **be made clear that it takes place in that world or is about that world. Don't leave it for your readers to guess it.**

 **You could write about the HBRC, or Ansem the Wise, or even a certain bluenette who visited this world for the first time. ;)**

 **Be sure to check out all the other people who took this Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden Challenge! If you'd like to give this a try yourself, feel free to send me a PM, so I can give you a list of the themes/prompts. Or you can just look at the chapters' names. Be sure to tell me when you decide to take on the challenge, though, because I'd love to see what you come up with. :)**

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 **1\. Restoration**

After Yuffie had returned from Atlantica (that world was awesome, she wouldn't mind going there again), she had expected to meet an empty house. She was wrong about that.

"Whoa, what the heck happened to _you_?" a perplexed Yuffie asked when she spotted the leader of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee entering Merlin's place from the back door, wearing crutches.

She put her hands on her hips and eyed the grumpy-looking swordsman. Then again, grumpy was that man's default face, so maybe she had caught him in a good mood after all.

"…Some worker accidentally dropped a brick stone on my foot while restoring the main fountains yesterday," he grunted, not looking at the bubbly ninja.

 _Accidentally, huh? Are you sure about that?_ she thought, since she knew quite a lot of people who hated the brunet's guts.

Knowing Leon, the feeling was probably mutual.

"Oh… " She tilted her head to the side, her eyes still not leaving his form. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I've had worse. I have to rest my foot for a week. Doctor's orders."

"Oh really now?"

She could tell by his odd behavior that he was both angry with himself as well as ashamed that this accident had happened on his watch. After all, since Leon was the leader, he was also in charge of all the bigger restoration projects.

Some lousy leader he was then.

Of course, Yuffie couldn't resist rubbing that in by saying, "I leave you alone for two days and this is what you do to yourself? Son, I am very disappoint."

"…"

Honestly, he looked so utterly pathetic that Yuffie couldn't help but laugh at his sorry ass.

Leon's glare, however, made her stop right away. Yuffie had been his partner long enough to know that that glare said something along the lines of, ' _You just wait till I get better. Then we'll see who laughs last…'_

She gulped, remembering how much of a slave driver he used to be back when he was training her to become a better fighter. It was a silent promise, that much was certain…

"Better start looking for hiding places he doesn't know about," she muttered under her breath.

But first, she had to catch up on some sleep; Atlantica had worn her out. It was a mystery to her why no one seemed to like that world, because she hadn't had such a great time in a while.

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 **A/N: I know, it's a bit of a dull first chapter, but it will get better!  
**

 **Since December is a busy month, the next update will be in January. I hope you understand. Also, it would mean the world to me if you could take a look at my latest poll and vote. Thanks in advance! :)**


	2. Flowers

**A/N: This site seems to be much quieter than 2 years ago. I didn't even get one single flame. XD  
**

 **Thanks: miano53. :)  
**

* * *

 **2.** **Flowers**

All was quiet and well for a moment, until…

"Eeew, Leon. You've gotta see this one. It takes gross to a whole new level!" Yuffie exclaimed for the umpteenth time that day, as she fished yet another card out of the huge pile of loveletters and other Valentine's Day gifts on one of the desks.

Leon let out a long-suffered sigh but decided not to comment this time. Maybe then she would finally realize that her enthusiasm about pervy cards was not appreciated today. Of course, knowing Yuffie, he was being too optimistic.

The swordsman himself couldn't possibly care less about the many things that Valentine's Day brought upon his path (sometimes he even wished he could forget everything that happened on this day; the unnecessary flirting, the stupid cards, the desperate women).

Yuffie just thought he was being weird or maybe a little bit prude; how could one _not_ love all the flowers and cards and chocolate and attention that you got? Sure, some of those cards were desperate and dirty, but most of them were incredibly sweet and original. Leon just wasn't a romantic...the bastard.

"You're not even a tiny bit curious about this?"

"...No."

"Hmm..." She deflated at that answer. "I bet you wrote half of these cards yourself then."

Leon rolled his eyes at that. " _Please_. I'm not nearly as desperate as you are."

"Very funny, _Squall_."

"It's Leon."

Yuffie tried her best not to giggle at that. Leon was so incredibly predictable when it came to his name. The ninja knew how much it annoyed him when she teased him with it, which was why she never stopped doing so. Some things never got old.

"Oh look! This one is actually kinda cute! And the flowers she sent are lovely! White roses, how romantic!" When Leon didn't respond, she went on, "'Roses are red, violets are blue. You probably don't know I exist, but I can't stop thinking about you.' Aww, poor girl."

"Very cute indeed," was Leon's sarcastic reply, to which Yuffie stuck out her tongue at him.

She could only wonder, how could people be so incredibly boring without being braindead already?

It was quiet in the room for a brief moment, but then the taciturn man said, "And how do I know one of these cards wasn't sent by you?"

"Ew, as if!" Yuffie cried, quasi-disgusted, even though a faint blush was touching her cheeks now.

After all, there had been a time when she'd been crushing so badly on this mega jerk. But that was ages ago and she had been young and stupid back then! And he possibly couldn't have known about that…right? Not unless Cid or Aerith had told him. Yuffie knew that the latter would never do such a thing, but Cid couldn't be trusted at all… Even though he'd saved her life on multiple occassions. But that didn't mean anything, right?

Apparently, that little bit of teasing was all it took for her to leave Ansem the Wise's study, but not without announcing how boring he was.

"Finally," he muttered under his breath, as soon as she was out of earshot.

It was a good thing that the ninja didn't know how much Leon tried to annoy her to get her to leave, otherwise his sneaky tricks would never work against her.


	3. Ninja

**A/N: This site seems to be much quieter than 2 years ago. I didn't even get one single flame. XD  
**

 **Thanks:** ** **Shiranai Atsune, and** miano53. :)  
**

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 **3\. Ninja**

Yuffie surveyed her surroundings once again. This pub may have been new, but it was kind of boring.

Too much wood, she mused. Even most of the paintings on the wall were depicting trees and wooden cottages. To add insult to injury, they made you pay upfront when you ordered something. What was she, some ordinary thief? It was as though they wanted to offend you before you even set foot in this place.

The dark-haired young woman caught some movement from the corner of her eyes; someone was slowly making his way over to her.

 _Please don't let it be Squall, please don't let it be Squall_ , she prayed quietly, because otherwise she would be in big trouble. She wasn't even supposed to be here, but her curiosity had made her take a look.

When the figure just stood there next to her instead of admonishing her, Yuffie let out a relieved sigh. Leon wouldn't have wasted time like that; his motto was most likely something along the lines of 'The best way to start a day is with public humiliation for Yuffie.'

Yuffie turned her head to inspect the stranger. She had never seen this guy before, but he looked around her age. Leon would have been so offended if he ever heard that she mistook a drunkard for him.

"Can I help you?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"Is there a ninja in your pants? 'Cuz your butt is kicking!"

Yuffie blinked, not sure what to say. Was that supposed to be a one-liner? However, she was quick to recover.

She punched the young man's chest, making him stagger backwards dangerously. "No, I am the ninja, you dumbass! Geez, you must be new around here."

With that, she chugged down her drink, got up, and heading towards the door, vowing to herself to never come back here again.


	4. Baby

**A/N:** **I have an announcement to make: After spending time on this site for more than 8 years and having published 216 stories, I'm (finally) going to stop writing fanfiction. I will of course do my best to finish Amnesia Completa, my longest Terqua fanfic so far. And I would betray myself if I didn't finish my own challenge, but unless I feel a sudden urge to post a one-shot (and let's face it, that happens at least twice a year), I will not focus on anything else but my original work. I will still lurk and reply to messages and such, but I won't finish any of my other ongoing stories (never say never, though). And of course, here's hoping that someone's actually reading this.  
**

 **That being said, I'd like to take this moment to thank each and every one of you who ever read my stories, and/or reviewed, favorited and followed my work. You have helped me grow more than you can imagine. After this, I feel confident enough to finally finish my book and look for a way to get it published. If you'd like, I will keep you guys updated through my page on here. :)**

 **Thanks: Skaz Wolfman, and Axelsfire96.**

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 **4\. Baby**

"Elsa?" Rinoa said after a moment of silence.

"..Please, no."

If you had told Leon five years ago that in five years, not only Radiant Garden would be fully restored, looking even more beautiful than before, but he would also be sitting next to Rinoa (his beloved wife), while trying to come up with a suitable babyname that they would both like, he would have thought you were completely nuts.

And yet, there they were. They already knew it was going to be a girl.

"What about Yvette?" Leon proposed after a brief pause.

Rinoa shook her head. "No, I knew one. She was a bitch."

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into the smallest smile possible.

"Arlene?" he went on.

At that, she sat up abruptly, nearly startling Leon.

"Rin, what's the matter?"

"Are you serious? I can't believe you just said that!"

The brunet swordsman frowned, not sure what this was about. "What?"

"Arlene!? Are you kidding me?"

"No…? What's wrong with Ar-"

Rinoa let out a frustrated sigh. "What's wrong with Arlene!? We both know why you'd like that name… She could never resist pissing me off by flirting with you right in front of me!"

"What? Who are you even talking about?"

"Arlene! Remember? The annoying blonde bimbo who worked at the moogle ice cream shop! As soon as she got boobs, she only flaunted them. Disgusting really. That girl seriously had some issues."

Not only was it strange to hear the words 'bimbo' and 'boobs' coming out of his wife's mouth, but Leon wasn't sure if that's how things had really gone. Leon wasn't stupid, he knew when someone was flirting with him, and Arlene had just been a nice girl. And less annoying than Yuffie for sure.

"Look, I just like the name, okay? Besides, that…kind of behavior was before we even started dating."

"Yeah, but not before I started _liking_ you. And she knew that very well. In fact, everyone in Radiant Garden knew it, save for you of course, because even back then you were too oblivious."

Leon knew that it was only the hormones that made her say these things, but she was acting very unreasonable right now. Of course, he also knew that Rinoa would make him sleep on the couch again if he ever said anything about her hormones.

So for his own sake, he chose to ignore that last bit and decided to focus on their task at hand. "Okay, whatever, we won't call her Arlene. What about… Aeris?"

"Seriously Squall?" This time she threw a pillow at him which he skillfully blocked. "Do you even love me anymore?"


	5. Eyes

**A/N: I am sooo sorry for disappearing like that. Life's busier than ever and if it wasn't for me procrastinating, I wouldn't have been on in the first place. But thanks so much for everyone who's still reading, reviewing, faving, etc. :) Here's a very rushed piece. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! :D** **  
**

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 **5\. Eyes**

Yuffie had just returned from a mission in Traverse Town, but not without some shocking revelations to share.

"Oh my gosh, guys! I had no idea that Traverse Town had a red lights district!" she said enthusiastically. "I have to wonder now, has it always been there or did those people from Hamsterdam have something to do with this? 'Cuz those people are kinda liberal, after all."

Her exclamation (or rather, the way she sounded so excited about it) made a shocked Aerith spit out her tea back in the teacup.

"Why are you looking at me? I don't go to redlight districts," Cid snorted incredulously.

"Did you go to obscure places like that? Yuffie, I explicitly _told_ you not to-" Leon started sternly, but as he'd expected, he was wasting his breath on her.

"Hey, here's an idea. We should totally have a zone like that in Radiant Garden too!"

Everyone looked at her in a way that said, "Are you high right now?"

"Whaaat?" the black-haired ninja said defensively.

"Dont be ridiculous. That's not for your eyes to see," Aerith said, admonishing her, to which Yuffie merely sighed.

"Guys, this might come as a shock to you, but I'm old enough to decide that for myself, you know. Plus, they're _my_ eyes, so you don't get to have any say on it, anyway."

"You know kid, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that you make it sound like you actually want to work there," Cid said with a snort.

Yuffie opened her mouth to give a witty retort, but fortunately for all of them, her mobile phone rang at that moment. "We are not finished yet," she said, before darting outside, where she had more privacy.


	6. Mischief

**A/N: had too much fun writing this chapter. Why must I torment my favorite characters so much? Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this! :)**

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 **6\. Mischief  
**

"Has gum ever fallen out of your mouth when you were talking?" Yuffie asked curiously.

Leon frowned. What did _she_ think?

"No."

"Has it ever fallen out of your mouth while you were _not_ talking?"

"No. I don't even like gum."

"Why not?"

How Leon had been roped into cleaning Ansem the Wise's office with none other than Yuffie, was still a mystery to him. Aerith just had a way with words.

Too bad that Yuffie kept asking him random and annoying questions all the time.

Sure, he didn't mind having to do Aerith a favor, but why had she chosen someone so ridiculously hyper? Their personalities clashed so much that Leon was tempted to bash his head against a wall to make the talking stop.

"Yuffie," he eventually said with a tired sigh, not sure just how much longer he could take her antics anymore.

Honestly, he felt a dulling headache coming up.

"Okay, okay. Two more, then I'm done promise."

And in the heaven up above, some angels cried.

"...Fine."

Why did he even bother anymore. It wasn't like he was going to win this anyway.

"Have you ever-"

"No."

Now it was Yuffie's turn to sigh. "You're supposed to let me finish the sentence." When Leon didn't reply, she continued. "Have you ever choked on your own spit?"

Right now he was wishing he could choke on his own spit so that he could die and feel free again.

"More than once. I'm not proud of it."

"Oh…" Apparently, this answer had surprised the black-haired ninja. "Have you ever jumped out of a moving vehicle?"

"When you're the one who's driving, one has no choice if they want to live."

"Very funny." Leon could practically feel how she rolled her eyes. For a moment it was blissfully silent, but then, Yuffie continued, "Well, according to the Idiot Test, you're a semi idiot. I'm quite surprised actually."

"Only around you," Leon retorted sarcastically.

"Aww, that's so sweet! Makes me wanna pinch your cheeks."

"Yuffie?"

"Yeah?"

"Quit being annoying."

"No can do."


End file.
